The head of the Regional Transportation District’s main union is criticizing proposed furlough days for employees, and believes that they are an unnecessary solution to the agency’s budget shortfall.

“RTD has proposed that all workers take unpaid furlough days,” said Lance Longenbohn, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001. “But even as of this morning, RTD is still hiring. Who ever heard of a company that is looking at furloughs and layoffs while simultaneously hiring more of those same kinds of workers?”

Longenbohn sent letters to RTD officials following a proposal from the agency to mandate nine furlough days for all employees, which RTD projects will save $7.4 million. 

“Layoffs are much more of a negative impact where employees lose not only salary, but healthcare and other benefits as well,” said Pauletta Tonilas, RTD’s assistant general manager for communications. “If the union prefers to adhere to layoffs instead of negotiating a furlough plan, the most junior employees will be affected, and [it would] negate the significant progress we have made in hiring much-needed operators to address our operator shortage.”

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, RTD had planned to reduce some service as a result of too few bus drivers and light rail operators. The long-standing predicament resulted in canceled runs and required many employees to work six days per week, which affected morale. The current pandemic service schedule has alleviated that problem by running routes on weekend frequencies.

Longenbohn wrote to the RTD board of directors and Interim General Manager Paul Ballard that “a more obvious solution exists,” which he proposed was to cut “overpaid” managers and use the $232 million that RTD received through federal coronavirus relief money to maintain its payroll.

“We have learned over the years that the RTD budget is vast and hard to decipher, and that RTD’s priorities are quite often subject to question,” Longenbohn added, “a fact highlighted by the state government’s desire to have increased oversight of RTD’s operation, administration and finances, including the federal stimulus dollars.”

His reference was to Senate Bill 151, which a committee killed in late May. It would have given the state auditor and the General Assembly’s transportation legislation committee oversight of RTD.

RTD projects a drop in sales and use tax revenue of 24% this year, only reaching pre-pandemic levels after 2025. The agency calculated that the nine furlough days proposed would save as much money as laying off as many as 150 employees. Money from the federal CARES Act is meant to replace lost fare and sales tax revenue from this year, which RTD estimates will provide a surplus of between $4 million and $11 million after expenses.

“There is no additional CARES funding after 2020 to offset these revenue losses. This is why we are carrying these small projected surpluses and reserves into 2021,” said Christine Jaquez, an RTD spokesperson. She added that any cuts in 2020 are meant to forestall more severe reductions in future years.

Director Natalie Menten, District M, defended the furloughs. “Compared to the hardship that many unemployed people are looking at, I would have to say nine days spread over several months is not as big of an impact as those whose companies have closed or who were laid off for two to three months.”

She added that given the depths of necessary budget cuts, there had to be “multiple sources” of savings and “compromise from all divisions.”